Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Topic started by: MB on April 16, 2014, 08:22:26 PM
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Who has put the new HD strings on their pre-2014 GA Taylor guitars?
What was your experience?
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I haven't tried 'em yet. There are a few threads discussing the HD strings, but I'm not sure about any specific pre-2014 GA comments. Might be why there haven't been any replys to this thread. :) I feel better now.
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The HD strings sure are expensive, but in all fairness, most the Elixir strings are.
It is shocking to order strings for all my guitars....makes me want to thin out the herd!
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At Strings and Beyond, the HDs are just a bit more than other elixirs ...which IMHO is ridiculous considering you're getting nothing more costly, simply a different gauge not unlike choosing mediums over lights. That said, elixirs, overall, are about what I used to pay (if not less costly) given how long their tone lasts compared to when I used to use non-coateds and was changing them far more frequently.
FWIW, there are my frequent-use acoustics, then the rest. Those not used on a regular basis can have the same elixirs on for maybe a year and still sound fresh and crisp whenever I pick them up (all are open, mounted on wall hangers). I could never say that before I used elixirs (and can't say that for my electrics since I do not used coated strings there). All in my limited experience, anywho :D
Edward
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Yeah Edward...not to make this a commercial for Elixir, but that's all I use on my acoustics. ;)
On my electrics I use either D'Addario 10s or some guitars get the Boomer 10s.
Like you, I only change the strings on the "active" guitars. Otherwise I'd go broke!
I'm reminded of times when strings were $3 and you could fill up the car for $10!
Peace Out!
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LOL ...well D'Addario XLs bought in a 3-pack aren't too far away from 3 bucks. But gas?!!! Not much there to laugh at. Good thing we got our guitars, eh?!!
:D
Edward
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I use medium-lights on my 2010. I want heavier bottoms, not heavier tops. My tops are loud enough.
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I use medium-lights on my 2010. I want heavier bottoms, not heavier tops. My tops are loud enough.
I agree. It makes me wonder about the claim that these HD strings somehow enhance the low end?!
It just seems backwards but maybe Andy knows something we don't?
The brown truck just dropped off a few sets of HD's that I ordered.
I'm hesitant to put them on my 2012 814ce....but my curiosity is going to win and I will most likely try them this weekend since I don't have a gig.
That way I can at least play them for a week before I have to decide on using them at a gig next weekend or not.
As always....I'll share my findings here and hopefully someone else will take the plunge so we can compare notes.
So far, nobody has actually reported putting HDs on a pre 2014 Grand Auditorium...unless I missed it!
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I use medium-lights on my 2010. I want heavier bottoms, not heavier tops. My tops are loud enough.
Which is exactly why I have since gone to the medium-light PBs on GA and GC bodies for yeeeaars now. The heavier EAD suits these smaller-ish Taylor bodies superbly, balancing the bass notes perfectly with the trebles, IMHO.
...It makes me wonder about the claim that these HD strings somehow enhance the low end?!
It just seems backwards but maybe Andy knows something we don't?....
I agree wholeheartedly: to me, the former point is total marketing spin. Yeah, how lighter-gauge bass strings can somehow enhance low end is a serious push ...lol! I can only speculate on the latter point: Andy Powers has revoiced the new lineup ...seemingly having tipped the overall timbre toward more bass. Or at the very least, this greater bass response is true of my 2013 616Spr.Ltd. (euro spruce/macassar). Or maybe it's just the coinciding of the GS body's girth, the Adi-CV bracing, and the macassar b/s, all along with Powers' revoicing that this guitar is markedly bass heavy. Don't get me wrong, I love that it contrasts its brethren, but for this player it was screaming for a bit of timbral rebalancing ;)
Suffice it to say for my ears, the HDs are simply a way to tame the bass-heavy tone of a guitar, whatever its size. But lets face it, barring that occasional guit, pre-Powers guitars are hardly bass-heavy cannons. That's just not the "Taylor voice" ; and that tonal balance is one of the very reasons I own Taylors and not others.
As with all things "tone," beauty is in the ear of the beholder, and such a tonal experiment is a cheap one, all things considered. But if one merely thinks about the simple difference between the HD and regular set (ignoring the ad copy), then the intuitive voice in one's head likely will answer whether the HD really has anything to offer the player. IMHO, anyway.
Edward
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I had only first heard about the new HD's a week after buying 4 backup sets of PB Lights. I'll be waiting until I run thru those before trying out a set of HDs. I'll be watching here for reviews though.
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Well, I finally had to try the HD's on my 04 314ce. My wife, who is not a musician, did not care for the change at all. I had just played it with my usual EJ-16's on it. I thought I should play them in before rushing to judgment, but on this instrument they don't do it for me. Another night I brought it out, now played in, and the better half said "those have got to go". I feel the same way.
They sound good on the 414ce SLTD but to my ear do not work on my 314. It could be that I just love the sound of the instrument too much already to want the change. I won't pretend to know the science, or even what bracing my 314 has, but my experience was that it was not a good change.
Hope that helps with OP's question.
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I had a similar experience to Fretting. I've been systematically testing different strings on my 514 and the HDs were not impressive at all. I definitely did not get more pronounced highs and the bass was similar to the 12-53s I had been using. I kept them on for two weeks just to make sure they didn't change for the better, and never got used to the sound.
Elixir 11s were ok, but not as good sounding, and harder to play for me than 12s.
So far, Elixir 12-53 has been the best for me. Everyone's different, of course.
Surprisingly good sounding were some D'Addario EXP 12s, but they were very squeaky.
Disliked the John Pearses but lots of people rave over these.
Untried so far are some Curt Mangan and some Thomastik. Those are going to have to make me a rock star because I can't afford them on a regular basis.
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I would just advise trying it. They're specified for the new bracing in the 2014 series, but at the end of the day you really have to just try various strings and sizes and listen to them to arrive at the best set for that specific guitar based on what you're after. I don't know that you could generalize too much about what the impact might be.
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I tried them on my 2013 814ce, and while they didn't sound bad to me, I didn't prefer the feel compared to the usual Elixer PBs I use. The thicker gauges are just not for me I think.
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Hmmm wrong thread. Sorry